New Cinderella Trailer

*Disclosure: I was invited by disney on an all expenses paid trip to L.A. to attend the press junket and premiere for Disney’s The Jungle Book, however all experiences and opinions are 100% my own!
Before we had the opportunity to walk the red carpet at “The Jungle Book” world premiere, we had the opportunity to interview Jon Favreau & Neel Sethi & talk auditions, cow bell & more!
So like most we wondered where the idea to do the movie came from…Jon was working on a project called “Magic Kingdom”, and at the same time Disney began doing films like Cinderella, Maleficent, Alice & Pirates all being exploited as their own franchises so they weren’t moving forward with the Magic Kingdom project, but Jon still wanted to do something with live humans but a set that you’re not going to build, but work with special effects instead. He met with Rob Legato to talk visual effects and discuss what you could do with them. Not long after that he got a call from Disney to come in and because Alan Horn loves the Jungle Book they wanted to explore what could happen. Jon wanted to keep it photo real but still give it a dream like quality so you see the whole thing through kid’s eyes. Play with scale a bit and have fun with it.
We also wondered how he knew when he found his Mowgli.
“I can’t take credit for this talented young man. He wasn’t experienced but he had a quality and being a Father, I recognized it, it was confidence. He was a full formed version of himself and so we kind of got who he was very quick, and I think the fact that he wasn’t a kid who was out there looking for acting jobs made it fun for him. It didn’t feel like he was concerned about failing or concerned about getting the part or not.”
What was it like for Neel to beat out 2000 other children for the part?
“2 weeks later, like we flew to LA and we were in the Hotel. The Producer called and were like flipping and jumping and we were so happy. We went out and got my favorite food.”
So what does a new actor get to eat to celebrate? Lobster Ravioli of course!
You might wonder how he acted without having the animal there to interact with…we had the same thoughts. The Jim Henson puppeteers created puppets for him to interact with and Neel had this to say:
“I would just make it normal that it’s not a puppet. It’s like a Bear or a Panther. That’s Baloo. Hi Baloo. And then instead of seeing a Puppet, I would see it like that. That made it a lot easier and sometimes they made them look like Baloo and that helped a lot, and Jon actually got into the puppet sometimes and that helped me interact with him.”
Neel attended a traditional school and had finished 5th grade when he auditioned. So when he went back to traditional school, it was like he never left, he just slipped back in..
“it was just normal again and everybody thought it was cool for like a week and then like all right, enough.”
Have you ever wondered if an actor or director keeps something from a movie they are working on? I know I have! Apparently Harrison Ford kept something from was “Cowboys and Aliens”…He and Daniel Craig took their horses! Well on this movie…Jon said he did keep something and as he was talking we all knew exactly where he was going with it!
“The one I took from this was, um, if you notice when he goes into King Louis, the Temple where King Louis is…”
At this point we all knew! The Cowbell! Keep an eye out for it when you watch this weekend!
“A little more Cowbell.”
What makes a great movie for me, is something that can stand the test of time and can entertain both young and old. Jon Favreau feels the same…
“A great thrill for me is to show the kids and the whole family what we’ve been doing and then you get your first sense by looking in their eyes. And sometimes you show them versions that are almost done because you know their taste and — and I know it from the perspective of me. I’m 49. I have 3 kids that are different ages. Each one of them seeing how scary you could make it, see when they’re scared but they like it, see when they’re laughing. See the jokes that they get or don’t get. Can you make one for the 9 year old that isn’t boring to the 14 year old, and then of course, you know, for my age as well.”
This film has it all…action, adventure, comedy, thrill & heart. You could tell that Jon is proud of this movie as he was beaming through the whole interview. Neel was just trying to take it all in…I don’t think it’s easy to go from a kid next door to the star in a huge Disney blockbuster!
Come back later this week for more interviews with Sir Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong’o & Giancarlo Esposito plus “The Jungle Book” movie review!
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Working from home is not a novelty anymore. However, the popularity of home offices has helped many employers to shift their priorities. Nowadays, you can find a remote position at the click of a button. Whether you choose to establish yourself as a freelancer or to join a virtual office, working from home puts you in charge of your time. As a result, you can create a successful and profitable career without ever needing to commute to work. More and more experts testify that home-based professionals can be more productive and creative than their office colleagues. Additionally, you can also use a virtual PO box to maintain your professional appearance without revealing your home address.
You can work out at home
If you’re the kind of person who can’t find the time to go to the gym, staying fit doesn’t have to be complicated. You can use your home as your gym HQ, which can save you a lot of time and money in the long term. Indeed, if you enjoy working out outside, you can consider the addition of an in-ground basketball hoop in your front yard, for instance. It’s the perfect excuse for a quick game with your family! Pet owners can play with their dogs in the garden. You’d be surprised how many calories you can burn just by running with your dog! Rainy days are not a problem either. You can find plenty of online workouts to follow in the lounge. Most often than not, you won’t need any additional equipment than your gym clothes!
Who needs a restaurant when you can cook?
What the best way of spending your Friday evening? While going out is the preferred way to start the weekend, more and more people wonder if there is a cost-effective alternative to plan get-together nights with friends. The answer is yes. You can throw a simple party at home and invite a selected few to enjoy a convivial home-cooked meal. With a little know-how, you can easily throw impressive meals that are a piece of cake to prepare! But, more importantly, you can make your home the new place to be during the weekend.
In conclusion, the simple home has become a place of opportunities, both professional and social. While staying at home can seem at first like an excluding gesture that keeps you isolated from the rest of your community, the reality is different. Staying at home can not only bring families together but also create new connections with friends and colleagues that would, otherwise, not have happened.

This blog post was sponsored by KING’S HAWAIIAN® but the opinions are all my own. #GameTimeGrilling #AD
It’s my favorite time of year…pumpkin pie baking in the oven and football on the tv! Being from Texas, we love our football…and we get to watch it 6 days out of the week! We watch my sons’ 8th-grade team (who is undefeated so far this year) on Tuesday nights & NFL or College Thursday-Monday! Since Sunday is really the only true family day we have during the week, we love doing backyard tailgating. Lots of food, variety of drinks and plenty of football on the TV.
When watching Football at home…just like the tailgaters at the major league games…it’s all about the food, so we headed over to our local HEB to grab all our favorites. There I can find everything we need for recipes new and old. I love creating new and exciting recipes our kids and guests will love. There’s nothing like ending a party with “can I have that recipe?”
We picked up lots of goodies like chips & dip, little smokies, hamburger meat, frozen meatballs, King’s Hawaiian® Rolls & BBQ sauce. HEB carries a large selection of King’s Hawaiian® products…We have used King’s Hawaiian® in many backyard tailgating Sundays. Everyone love the sweet Hawaiian rolls mixed with Texas BBQ.
The new King’s Hawaiian® BBQ sauces come in four flavors to compliment any meat.
Original Sweet Pineapple
Smoked Bacon
Kona Coffee
Big Island Lava (spicy-sweet)
I decided on the original sweet pineapple & Smoked Bacon. I’ve always used the King’s Hawaiian® rolls for mini pulled pork or ham & cheese sandwiches…but I thought it was time to create something new and fun…and of course delishious since they have new BBQ sauces to pair with the rolls! I have two recipes for you because I loved them both! We made Sweet Pineapple Mini Meatball Subs + Smoked Bacon & Pineapple Sliders.
Sweet Pineapple Mini Meatball Subs A sweet and tropical twist on a meatball sub
King’s Hawaiian® Mini Sub Rolls
Frozen meatballs
King’s Hawaiian® Original BBQ Sauce
Pineapple Dices or Slices (in juice)
Bell Peppers (Diced)
Pineapple Juice (from can of pineapple)
Place meatballs, BBQ Sauce, Pineapple Juice into Crock-pot.
Cook on high for about an hour then turn on low to keep warm for guests.
Place 3 meatballs on mini sub rolls top with BBQ sauce, diced pineapples & peppers.
My Sparkling Life https://mysparklinglife.com/
Smoked Bacon & Pineapple Hawaiian Sliders
King’s Hawaiian® Original Sweet Rolls
2 lbs Hamburger Meat
King’s Hawaiian® Bacon BBQ Sauce
Bell Peppers (Diced)
Pineapple Dices
Mix 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce into hamburger meat.
Pack meat into mini burger (slider) forms
Grill until done
Place mini burger (slider) onto sweet roll
Top with BBQ sauce, pineapple & peppers
My Sparkling Life https://mysparklinglife.com/ Which recipe will you try?
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

However, so many of us jump giddily head-first into the idea of self-care without stopping to think what it means. Self-care is more than just cosmetics and lattes, a new outfit or a night out with friends. Yes, those things are all essential to staying happy, but…if you aren’t looking after your physical self, the efforts to mend your mental self won’t go very far.
Women aren’t taking care of themselves. They aren’t taking care of their health. More specifically, they aren’t looking after their hearts.
Heart Disease is the leading killer of women in America. It has been the leading killer for years now, but the numbers aren’t dwindling. Why? Because women neglect their heart health. Women, who bare the brunt of domestic work, emotional labor and family stress, are carrying all of that inside them, and aren’t doing the work to alleviate that stress in the form of good diet, exercise and therapy. All of this strain goes straight to the heart, as it were. And then when big problems do arise, women often overlook them, assuming that chest pain is just another panic attack or a case of indigestion. Or, in some cases, fear keeps us away from the doctor: we’re afraid of what we’ll find, so we just keep working. The whole place will fall apart without us anyway, right?
But we can’t keep neglecting our heart health. Doctors have begun urging female patients to take steps to better their heart health, and to see doctors when there’s cause for concern. For cardiologists like Michael Seawell MD, a healthy heart starts with understanding how best to care for your physical health, and that understanding begins when you see a doctor who specializes in heart care. He believes that women should stop putting off their physical health and ignoring signs that there may be a problem. Dr. Seawell and his colleagues know that the best way to practice self-care is to make the necessary changes to your diet, exercise and mental health to ensure that your ticker keeps on ticking for years to come.
Of course, the nail polish and Netflix help, too.

Welcome to the Make it Easy for Mom this Mother’s Day Giveaway,
generously sponsored by Medi-Pals!
Do you struggle with giving your child medication or vitamins? Medi-Pals medication dispensers are going to make your life so much easier! Medi-Pals dispensers are available in 3 whimsical characters that are familiar for your child, easy for the caregiver to use, and most importantly, ensure that the child is always getting the accurate dosage of medicine.
Key benefits of Medi-Pals pacifier medicine dispensers:
They’re softer than a straight syringe, and the syringe sits snugly in the nipple, so no medicine gets lost or stuck to the sides.
They’re accurate – the caregiver is in complete control of dosage.
The diverter on the pacifier nipple fans the medicine to the sides, not straight to the back of the child’s throat, so that the child won’t gag and spit the medicine out.
They’re reusable, dishwasher-safe, and easy to clean.
The pacifier and faceplate are easy to put together and take apart. You can even change faceplates!
They work with more than just oral vitamins, pain relievers, and oral antibiotics – it can also be used with baby food or even honey. If you can get it into the syringe, it will work.
They’re made in the USA!
Make sure you check out Thrifty Nifty Mommy’s full review the Medi-Pals medication dispensers, and check out her video review of Medi-Pals to see these dispensers in action with an infant and a toddler.
To make mom’s life a little easier this Mother’s Day, we’ve put together a FABULOUS prize package
– all sponsored by the generous people at Medi-Pals –
This prize package is valued at over $500 and includes:
(2) Medi-Pals dispensers: Freddie the Frog and Lilly the Ladybug so mom can give medication or vitamins easily.
$150 in CASH so mom can get whatever she likes!
(1) $100 Target Gift Card so mom can buy some favorite snacks, new accessories, or housewares.
(1) $100 Kohl’s Gift Card so mom can get a new outfit.
(1) $50 Starbucks Gift Card so mom can get a little treat.
(1) $50 Bath and Body Works Gift Card so mom can pamper herself.
(1) $50 Outback Gift Card so mom doesn’t have to cook on her special day.
(1) Mommy Hook to make strolling with bags or groceries a breeze.
You can get your own Medi-Pals on Amazon right now!
Open to the continental US only, ages 18 and up. Ends 5/1/15 at 11:59 PM EST.
Enter using the Giveaway Tools form below. Good Luck!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Medi-Pals. The participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. One winner will be randomly selected using the Giveaway Tools random selector and notified via email by the hosts of this giveaway, Thrifty Nifty Mommy and Viva Veltoro. Once notified, the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Google. Void where prohibited. Amazon links are affiliate links (if applicable) and images are attributed to Amazon.

I’m so excited to share with you the new teaser trailer and poster from Disney’s ALADDIN, the thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic.
ALADDIN is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who brings his singular flair for fast-paced, visceral action to the fictitious port city of Agrabah, the film is written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney’s ALADDIN.
ALADDIN stars Will Smith as the larger-than-life Genie; Mena Massoud as the charming scoundrel Aladdin; Naomi Scott as Jasmine, the beautiful, self-determined princess; Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, the powerful sorcerer; Navid Negahban as the Sultan concerned with his daughter’s future; Nasim Pedrad as Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s free-spirited best friend and confidante; Billy Magnussen as the handsome and arrogant suitor Prince Anders; and Numan Acar as Hakim, Jafar’s right-hand man and captain of the palace guards. The film is produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich with Marc Platt and Kevin De La Noy serving as executive producers. Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and two new songs written by Menken and songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.The film, which was shot on practical stages in London and on location amidst the stunning desert vistas of Jordan, has a talented creative team helping to bring Agrabah to life, including: director of photography Alan Stewart, production designer Gemma Jackson and costume designer Michael Wilkinson.